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What I wish I knew before starting my audiophile journey

I’ve considered myself an audiophile for over 3 years now. In those 3 years I’ve owned over 12 pairs of speakers, 10 amplifiers, 4 pre amplifiers, 7 DACs all in search for the perfect sound. What I’ve come to learn is I knew nothing when I started and now have some, not all of an understanding of how this works. Im passing this on to anyone that’s getting into this hobby to help fast track them to a better sound and learn from my experience. If I were to do this all over again, here is where I would start and invest my money.

1. Clean power- I wasted a lot of time and probably sold very good gear thinking it wasn’t good enough because I didn’t have clean power. I installed a dedicated 8 gauge power line with 20 amp breaker and hospital grade plugs for approximately $800. This was hands down the single biggest upgrade. You really have no idea what your gear is capable of delivering until you have fed it with clean power.

2. Speakers-this is where I would spend the a big chunk of my budget. I could make tweaks all day to my system but until I had speaker resolved enough to hear them, it all seems a waste of time. I discounted many things like cables because I couldn’t hear the difference until I had speakers that could actually produce the differences. Keep in mind the room size. I believed that bigger was better. I actually now run a pair of very good bookshelves that have no problem energizing the room. 

3. Amplifier power. Having enough power to drive the speakers is crucial in being able to hear what those speakers are capable of delivering. Yes different amp make different presentations but if there’s enough power then I believe it’s less of an issue and the source determines the sound quality more.

4. Now that I have the power and resolution to hear the difference between sources, cables, pre amplifier, streamer, DACs ect. This is where the real journey begins. 
 

On a side note, my room played a huge roll in how my system sounded but not a deal breaker. I learned that it’s possible to tweak the system to the room by experimenting with different gear. I learned that speaker size based on room size is pretty important. Have good rug!!

For reference my set up

Dedicated power

Lumin U1 mini

Denafrips Venus 2

Simaudio 340i

Sonus Faber Minima Amator 2

cables, AQ full bloom. NRG Z3, Earth XLR, Diamond USB, Meteor Speaker cables.

128x128dman1974
jgandy
28 posts
 

My interest with hifi gear goes back 60 years with my first system consisting of AR3a speakers, AR turntable, Shure V15, and Dynaco St-70.  In the last few years I have come to appreciate the importance of the actual recording and mastering of the performance.  This is tops on my priority list.  Next, would be the speaker/room interface stressing the importance of an accurate speaker meticulously positioned in a room with well thought out acoustical treatment.  The speaker should be capable of great dynamic range and have superior off axis frequency response.  The system also should have a very ample amount of power driving the speakers.    For me, that’s it.

I have never unduly concerned myself with wires of any type, or power conditioning.  Instead, I invest in other types of improvement that do make a real audible difference. For example, I recently added a couple of JL Audio f112v2 subs with a JL Audio crossover to assist my Revel Salon 2’s which are driven by a pair of Parasound JC1+ monoblocks in turn served by DCS Bartok and Classe preamp.  

This addition has brought this system up to approach my reference system which is in a dedicated room in which speaker placement and acoustical treatment have been well thought out.  This system consisting of JBL M2’s, JBL sub18, and three Crown ITech 5000 amps is capable of significant dynamic range and clean high SPL.

I have always been audiophile atheist regarding wires, power conditioning, audiophile magazines (although I have subscribed to both since their inception), and  most of the myriad other ancillary devices marketed to the audiophile.

dweller's avatar
dweller
3,785 posts
 

"First off are Audiophiles ever happy with their components?"

I'm ecstatic.

jimmyblues
56 posts
 

I’ve been in this great hobby for nearly 50 years. In the early 1990s I was fortunate enough to be able to join Walt Bender’s (Rest In Peace Walt) subscription by invitation (Audiomart biweekly magazine) which included hundreds of used pieces of hifi gear.

Here I was able to try many different pieces of used hi end gear from companies such as Krell, Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Classe Audio, Sequerra etc. that I could never have afforded new. I was always able to break even, so shipping costs when I would purchase the gear and the $25 subscription fee twice a year were the only downsides.

Today, there are Websites like Audiogon and US Audiomart that function in a similar way, allowing those of us who don’t have the astrobucks to purchase hi end gear new, to do so used.

Ironically, after all these years my hearing is not what it used to be and I listen less critically now, and simply enjoy the music itself. The high end gear is long gone, yet I have settled with some nice components that faithfully honor the music without breaking the bank. 😊

 

 

 

coltrane1's avatar
coltrane1
790 posts
 

You forgot your wish to invest in a quality turntable. 

vthokie83
877 posts
 

A few additional things that have helped me greatly in my journey:

(1) Be open minded to information and experiences of others on these threads, and not dismiss things because I am unfamiliar with it. Same with reviewers, but with a grain of salt. I never would have considered room treatments, dedicated power lines, value of cables, speaker placement, vibration control, etc. on my own

(2) Find friends that are also in the hobby that are knowledgeable and will be open to lending you equipment to audition. I have been able to join a golf league that has quite a few audiophiles in it. I’ve been lucky enough to test gear from Denafrips, Musician, Holo Audio, Chord, Schitt, Buchadt, Phiharmonic BMRs, Ascend speakers, DDCs, Supra cables, Zavfino cables, Cullen cables, Audiolab, and a bunch more as a result.

(3) Be honest about your budget, and stick to it. I have a mid-fi budget, and can afford mid-fi components…..hopefully those that punch above their cost.

(4) Be happy with what you have now, even if you lust after other products. I love my Bluesound Node 130 with upgraded PSU and LPS, Denafrips DDC, upgraded cables…..but am saving up for an Aurender unit. Would love a pair of Tannoy GR series of speakers, but in the meantime adore my Buchardt S400 Mk II speakers.

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